


Staking Her Claim

by gothamgirl28



Category: Downton Abbey
Genre: Angst and Humor, F/M, Friendship, Long-Term Relationship(s), Mild Sexual Content, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-09
Updated: 2015-01-09
Packaged: 2018-03-06 20:59:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3148382
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gothamgirl28/pseuds/gothamgirl28
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sybil and Tom have a newborn baby, and Tom is on two weeks paternity leave. He is a teacher, either English or history, in a senior school (teaching ages 11-18) and he comments about how some of the older girls are going to miss him for two weeks as they have a bit of a thing for him, to which Sybil decides to 'claim him' as her own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Staking Her Claim

**Author's Note:**

> This is my tumblr S/T Secret Santa Fic for the wonderful zip-goes-a-million. I hope she and everyone else enjoys it.
> 
> The Prompt: Sybil and Tom have a newborn baby, and Tom is on two weeks paternity leave. He is a teacher, either English or history, in a senior school (teaching ages 11-18) and he comments about how some of the older girls are going to miss him for two weeks as they have a bit of a thing for him, to which Sybil decides to 'claim him' as her own.
> 
> Author's Note: In this modern au, I have changed the age difference between Tom and Sybil to three years. Sybil is 28 here, having completed medical school at UCL Medical School, her Foundation training, and one year on the specialty register at Great Ormond Street Hospital. Tom is 31 and working as a history teacher at the Camden School for Girls, a comprehensive school in the London Borough of Camden. They met when Sybil was 18 (nearly 19) and Tom was 22. She was in the middle of her gap year and he was working part-time for her father while he attended University College, London. Yes, he was a chauffeur.

_Friday, 26 September 2014_

Tom opened the door to the flat he shared with his wife Sybil and his newborn son Michael, careful not to make too much noise. It wasn’t easy as he was holding a box alongside his tan briefcase. After carefully shutting the door, he walked into the living room and was greeted by one of his favorite sights: his beloved wife feeding their son.

“Good afternoon, love. How’s the little fella?”

Sybil turned her head and beamed at her husband. “He’s great.” She gazed down at their son, her index finger being held in his tiny hand, and added, “He’s hungry as you can see. Aren’t you, Michael?”

Tom went to his family, putting his briefcase and the box on the coffee table. Sitting next to his wife, he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. They watched their son feed for the next several minutes, talking to each other.  
Once he was full, Sybil handed the baby and a towel to Tom. He smiled as he placed the towel then Michael on his shoulder. He gently tapped his son’s back, hoping it wouldn’t

take him long to burp.  
Sybil glanced at the clock. “You’re home earlier than I expected.”

He smiled at his wife as he continued burping their son. “I’ve been putting my personal items together during lunch this week. I pretty much sprinted from the building when the day ended.”

She chuckled, imagining Tom making a run for it. Sybil knew it had been hard for him the last three and half weeks, wanting to be with her and Michael, but needing to be at work. Tom had originally hoped to take paternity leave for the first two weeks of Michael’s life. However, he was due at the beginning of the school term, which prevented Tom from taking his paternity leave when the baby was born. Matters weren’t helped by Michael arriving five days early. Tom showed up for the first day of autumn term at the Camden School for Girls on three hours sleep and nursing a large cup of coffee.

Smiling, she said, “Well, you’re home with us until October 13th. I expect you to change Michael and give him a bath. There’s also playtime and he makes the most wonderful noises. Are you up for the challenge?”

Tom looked at his wife and beamed. “Always.”

Glancing at the coffee table, Sybil asked, “What’s in there? I knew you were taking home some pictures you keep in the office, but they’re not that big.”  
Her husband grinned. “I received gifts from the other teachers as well as several students. The sixth form girls were particularly emphatic about how much they’re going to miss me.”

Sybil smiled. “Well, it’s nice to know that your students like you that much. You’re obviously an excellent teacher.”

“Thanks, love. But I think the real reason they’re going to miss me is because I’m the ‘hot teacher’. Several of the girls have brazenly flirted with me. It’s really disconcerting.”

His wife was not happy to hear this bit of information. She crossed her arms over her chest and a miffed expression crossed her face. Tom, on seeing this, had to hold back a smile at her jealousy.

“There’s no reason for you to be jealous, love. You’re the only one for me. I haven’t even thought about anyone else since I met you.”

Sybil arched her eyebrow at his declaration. “Really? We’ve been together for nine years, married for three years and you haven’t thought about another woman at all.”

Tom sighed. “You’re right. I have thought about other women. How my mother would be thrilled to be a grandmother, how to scare off the boys looking at Orlaith, that sort of thing.”

She playfully swatted her husband. “That’s not what I meant.”

Smirking, he replied, “I know. But truly, love, to me you are the most beautiful woman in the world. No one can compare to you, especially a teenage girl.”

“I was a teenage girl when we met, if you recall.”

“And I was 22. I’m 31 now. I don’t want a teenager. I want you.”

Tom then leaned in and kissed his wife, pouring all of his love and devotion into the kiss. Sybil happily responded to the kiss, which quickly grew passionate. However, Michael made his presence known in his daddy’s arms and the new parents laughed.

Patting his son’s rump and realizing it needed a change, Tom announced, “Duty calls. Come on little fella, we’re going to get you cleaned up.”

Sybil smiled as she watched her boys walk away, happy to have such a wonderful husband.

* * *

To Tom, the issue seemed to be settled. Yes, he knew he had several female students who had crushes on him, but he thought the crushes were harmless and he didn’t even consider the girls at all. For Sybil, it wasn’t quite as easy to move on. Having had a baby four weeks before her husband’s paternity leave, she was feeling insecure about her body. However, with Tom home, she had pushed aside her insecurities and focused on their time together with Michael. Watching her husband and her son together, especially during tummy time, was the best part of her day. Everything seemed fine until the weekend before Tom had to return to the school.

_8-ish, Sunday, 12 October, 2014_

Tom walked into the bedroom after putting Michael to sleep. Bedtime was one of his favorite parts of their new routine. Sybil and him would alternate each night who would sing and rock the baby to sleep. Tonight it had been Tom’s turn. Michael had fussed at first, but eventually fell asleep . On entering the room, he saw Sybil sitting up in bed, a pensive look on her face.

“What’s wrong, love?” he asked.

She bit her lip, hesitant to answer. Sighing, she replied, “If you must know, I’ve been thinking over what you said two weeks ago about the sixth form girls.”

“I wish I hadn’t said anything. Sybil, I find it more comical than anything. I have no interest in those girls and they only have a superficial like of me.”

Sybil nodded her head. “I know that. But I’m still jealous.”

He sighed and got into bed. Wrapping an arm around his wife, he asked, “What can I do to make you feel better?”

She pulled him closer. “Come here.”

Sybil kissed Tom chastely on the lips. Then she kissed him more passionately. Tom eagerly responded. The two hadn’t made love since July as the end of her pregnancy robbed her of all sexual desire. With sex prohibited for a month after giving birth, it had been a long three months for him. He caressed her breast through her shirt, causing her to hiss.

“Sorry, love. I guess those are off limits for the time being.”

She smiled. “I’m afraid so.”

Sybil then pulled him back down and began to kiss down her husband’s neck. She gently bit him and sucked on the spot.

He pulled away. “Gentle, Syb. You’ll leave a mark.”

He gazed down at his wife and saw the smirk on her face. Realizing that she purposely did that, he pinched her bum.

“You little minx!”

Grinning saucily, she replied, “Would you have me any other way?”

He shook his head and returned to kissing his wife. They did nothing more than kiss and caress each other for the next half hour before Michael woke up unexpectedly. They both groaned, having enjoyed loving each other.

Looking down at his wife, Tom said, “I’ll go. You stay where you are.”

He rose and left the room, quickly checking on his son. He felt his bottom and realized Michael needed a nappy change. Tom quickly did that, talking to his son throughout the process. Sybil listened through the baby monitor and smiled at the goofy things her husband was saying to their son. After he was changed, he sang him back to sleep.

Returning to his bedroom and his wife twenty minutes later, Tom saw Sybil curled on her side, asleep. He gave his sleeping wife a small smile and got into bed. He pulled the covers over the both of them and curled his body around his wife’s. Soon he joined her in sleep.

* * *

_The Next Day_

Tom entered the school building and was greeted by several of his co-workers. His fellow teacher in the history department, William Mason, was waiting for Tom in his office. He smiled when he saw William.

“Good morning, Will!”

William looked up from the newspaper he was reading and grinned at his friend. “How are you, Tom? And how’s the family?”

Tom grinned. “I’m grand! And the family is perfect.”

He put his briefcase down on his desk and pulled out his iPhone. Opening his photo stream, he turned and handed it to Will. Will took it and began looking through the photos, smiling at all of the photos of baby Michael and Sybil on the phone.

“He’s getting big. He was such a tiny thing six weeks ago.”

Tom grinned. “I know. He’s a champion eater. I never thought I could love someone so much that wasn’t Sybil. I’m glad that I was wrong.”

Will looked up at his friend and did a double take. “What’s on your neck?”

His friend chuckled. “Sybil. She was a bit jealous when I mentioned that some of the sixth form girls had crushes on me. She decided to ‘stake her claim’ so to speak.”

William cracked up laughing. “I wish I could be in the room when a few of those girls see you’ve been marked.”

Tom chuckled himself. “I’ll find out in fifteen minutes.”

Fifteen minutes later, period one began and it was his year 11 history class. Tom greeted his students enthusiastically.

Several of the students welcomed Tom back, having missed their favorite history teacher for the last two weeks. One of the students, Melanie James, asked how his son was.

Grinning, he answered, “Michael is wonderful and growing and learning more each day.”

Turning to face his students, he noticed when several of his students saw the mark Sybil left on his neck. He inwardly grinned.

“Okay, let’s open our books to page 156.”

Tom went about teaching, knowing he would have to tell Sybil that her point was made loud and clear.


End file.
